I think us Saffies are pretty used to the fact that we have to take care, look around, lock everything bla bla, that we don't even see it as unusual anymore. It has become apart of our everyday life here in SA. Tourists will be targeted as they probably seem more vulnerable to the criminals imho.

Kruger has never ever felt unsafe, rather I feel safer with a big tusker in must starring me down than driving around JHB 11pm at night.

just by sticking to the main highways and roads and not go venturing around strange areas will probably make you not even realise that crime is a problem.

Kruger and all other major SA wildlife reserves are very peacefull.
Your biggest worry will be a elephant blocking the road Been visiting the big parks since 1999.
Been there each year since.
From Kruger,Kgalagadi to KwaZulu parks and never had anything bad happen to me.
Never had anything being stolen in any accommodation.
And travelled the country in a rental from Johannesburg to
the north and south.
Travelled through big cities, got lost in downtown Johannesburg and in rural areas. Not one dangerous moment.

I am an older American woman and I have been traveling alone in South Africa since 1984. I have traveled all over the country in a hired car, stayed in small towns and in large cities, as well as in KNP and KTP, and I have never encountered anything worrying. Rather, I have always encountered the extraordinary welcome and generosity of Saffies to visitors.

Yes, you need to be aware of the ordinary problems of a country that has cosiderable poverty. You need to take the usual precautions, keep valuables out of sight in your car, don't wander on your own in remote areas, don't venture unescorted into township areas, be aware of your surroundings when walking in a city and don't walk on your own at night. The situation of some tourists being mugged whilst walking on Table Mountain is still the exception rather than the rule, but sadly, I agree that in this instance it is better to be safe than sorry.

However, to feel that you must stay in your hotel or KNP to be safe is a HUGE exageration!! The drive from Jozi to KNP is perfectly safe, so long as you lock your car whilst shopping and leave nothing visible in it, and don't pick up hitchhikers. I have done that drive since 1984, along several different routes, and through the (now former) homeland areas, no worries. And I have driven in many far more remote areas, even had a breakdown on a Sunday en route to Bloemfontein and was "rescued" by a kind couple from Pretoria.

So please, to all who read this thread, and particularly to all overseas readers, South Africa is a VERY safe destination for overseas visitors. IMO it is no more dangerous than many areas in the USA, and believe me, the Saffies are much more welcoming to visitors than Americans are.

As a very naive Canadian travelling through Swazi & SA this past March....you don't really have anything to worry about.The people are VERY friendly..just be aware of your surroundings...don't walk alone at night, stay away from definite trouble spots, don't flash money or valuables....just like travelling anywhere....Cash points are protected by guards with pump guns, but only at pick up times.They are here too at Christmas.....

We had a fantastic time and the only unfriendly encounter we had was with an American customs official at the very beginning of our trip . Go & see your lions & ellies....you'll never regret it!!!

I can't imagine ever feeling unsafe in the Kruger Park, or any of the other SA National Parks we visit regularly as well. In fact the very opposite is true. The feeling of peace and tranquility one experiences there is what keeps us going back again and again.

Just follow the sensible advice given above and you will have a great time.

We travelled with our 2 kids (11 and 9) and we felt very safe in Kruger. Even the animals were polite

Please do take the recommended precautions outside of the park, though. Remember when you are a traveller in a foreign country you do "stick out" and hence tourists will always be soft targets. However having said this and having visited South Africa........my experience was good enough for me to visit again. And I would be on the plane in 15 minutes if someone would pay my airfares.

I have in the past come under a lot of pressure to leave the country. Many prophets of doom have told me that it is the best thing that I could do for my children.

I have decided to stay. I love the excitement the country gives, it's diversity, the people, the wide, wide spaces, the impossibly blue sky.In many respects we do live cautious lives. I worry, maybe a bit more, when my children go out at night ... the night is a time of great care.

One does adapt and I have seen my children grow into free thinking, responsible and caring young adults. They have a compassion and understanding often missing in a materialised western culture.

So too, visiting South Africa has it's raw moments. There is poverty, lots of it. It is not comfortable and it challenges everyone's comfort zone.

Non the less, it is a vibrant, dynamic sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking country. Enjoy the ride.

The bird doesn't sing because it has answers, it sings because it has a song.

I understand your concerns about travelling in SA and they are not unfounded, crime is a problem in certain areas. But, crime is concentrated more around the bigger cities and towns, and more so in certain areas in the cities and towns. Some areas in SA are almost crime free, eg the national parks, some rural towns, particularly in the northern cape. However, some rural areas are densely populated and thus crime becomes a problem.

Yes, in some areas you have to be very aware of where you are and you can't park your car anywhere on the street. However, there are places even in the cities where you can park on the street. Just be sensible and careful.

Inside Kruger? Don't even give crime a second thought. Of course lock your car and keep valuables locked away and out of sight. You never know, someone could be tempted to take a nice expensive camera or cell phone from an unlocked car, but that could happen anywhere in the world. But Kruger a crime hotspot? No, that is very very far from the truth.

I remember that there were no keys to the bungalows to speak of in the KNP and although on the drive from Jo'Berg to the gate we were very aware about leaving the vehicle and hiding anything from view, not stopping anywhere we didn't have to and sticking to main areas like Petrol stations when we did stop.

Are we going to find that things have changed that much in 5 years to the point where we are going to be spending our time worrying about our belongings instead of enjoying the time spent with the wildlife?

Maybe my apprehension is unfounded but the more I read on these forums about safety, breaking the rules, crime, littering etc etc....... the more I am thinking that things are not going to be the same and I am going to feel an immense feeling of disappointment!!!

I am well aware that maybe I see things through rose tinted glasses as far as the Kruger is concerned, but for me living in Europe it is one place I can get close to wildlife....... have that special feeling that what you are witnessing is unique to you, I can't think of anywhere else I have visited where I am immediately thinking of when I can return as I go back out of the gate!

I only hope that things haven't changed that much in 5 years, I really don't want to have a negative lasting image of a place that I thought was so wonderful, never to return.

We will be picking up a hire car at the airport when we land at Jo'Berg, reading the posts here, I almost feel that this is making me a target!!

Being from the USA, we hear many comments from friends and relatives about safety and danger when travelling in Africa. I will only echo Ark's comments about the infectious friendliness and willingness of the Saffies to extend an open and welcoming hand. We have had only positive interactions with the lovely people we've encountered in our many trips to various corners of SA, driving from Cape Town, to KTP, to KNP, to Swaziland.

We've had three flat tires...EVERY SINGLE TIME a kind and generous S. African, both white and black, stopped and actually changed the tire for us before we could get out the manual and all the tools...

My SO left his wallet at a camp in KTP. After realizing this, we reported it, just wishing to get his driver's license and credit cards back, but not really having much hope for that...we were presented his wallet upon checking out 2 weeks later, with everything intact, including $200 cash.

Checking in at Mata Mata, we were told our room #, but given no key to the door..."Where's the key?" we asked.
"Why would you need a key?" This was in the early 1990s, but we found it so refreshing.

Yes, we did have one instance of thievery ...
Sitting on a log at a picnic site eating hoagie sandwiches, a huge bird of some type swooped down, headed right for SO's forehead at breakneck speed, tried to steal the sandwich, which caused us both to jerk backwards and fall head over heels feet flying into the air, off the log. His lip was pierced and bleeding, the hoagie flew out of his hands, and a monkey raced over to steal the damn sandwich and run up the tree with it, smiling down at us as he devoured SO's lunch. (We think the bird and the monkey were in cahoots and have pulled off this caper many times before and after!) Gave us a new understanding of the term "monkey business."

Bottom line, the S.African parks, BECAUSE of the S.African people, are AS or MORE safe than other places we've visited, and are places we will return to as long as we are able.

I lived for 25 years in Mexico City and I left mostly due to the insecurity problem. Anywhere we go these days we can encounter violence, from petty theft to armed robberies, no country has exclusive rights to this growing problem.

But this is not going to stop me from enjoying the beauty of SA or any other country in this world. My hubby and I are very lucky to be able to travel for 2 months every year. Always, by the end of the vacation, my husband is proud to tell his friends that he drove nearly 12,000 kilometers and we have been married now for 11 years, so please make the math, we have covered a lot of kilometers together and we have never, NEVER had a problem, but we never wear fancy clothes, the jewelry stays at home, we never bring with us anything that we might regret bringing, we never rent a big flashy car, never leave your valuables at plain sight, bring very little cash on you, don't go to places where as a tourist you are not supposed to be at night and keep an eye on your camera!

You can have problems anywhere if you do not pay attention.

I am happy to say that we have had wonderful experiences with the people of SA, Turkey, Egypt, Mexico... We all have poverty problems as a common denominator but we also have one great asset: OUR OWN PEOPLE. The warmth of the locals always makes a huge difference.

sandiem wrote:Do they give you keys at reception now for th ebungalows?

Actually, Sandie, only at some camps. There are still some camps in KNP without locks on the the bungalows, which I think is great!!

And to both you and mucman, DON'T worry about the drive from JNB airport to KNP, I've done it several times over the years with NO issues at all, and as stated in my lengthy post, I am an older American woman traveling alone. Really, IMHO, the issue of crime in South Africa is greatly exaggerated in the overseas press. And the instances on crime in KNP have almost without exception involved only staff, no tourists — I think the only exception when some tourists were robbed was in one of the private concession camps. I am almost 1000% certain that NO tourists have been victims of crime in a SANParks camp.